HOW I SHOT THIS.
Here is a quick little tutorial on what I did to get this shot.

*Important safety tips.  Be sure to check with the event managers and ask about access to the track. Only go where they allow you. Wear bright clothing. Don't get in the way. Look both ways before crossing the track. Look both ways before crossing the track. Be aware of your surroundings- don't get caught up with the camera viewfinder and fail to notice the rider heading right at you. Pay attention. If a rider goes down, your camera should go down also. Help the rider.

I was using a Nikon D700 camera with a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens. The zoom setting was a 48mm.

The basic camera settings were 1/800 of a second at f/10. ISO was set at 400.

The camera settings were for exposure and getting a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. I usually try to shoot at 1/800 or faster to freeze the riders. You can experiment with shutter speed for different effects. A slightly slower shutter speed would have kept the bikes and riders sharp and allowed some motion blur on the spinning tires. This would have provided a more dynamic image by implying "speed" in a still photograph. By slowing the shutter speed even more and panning the camera with the movement of the rider, the background would blur and the rider and motorcycle would have remained fairly sharp. Try experimenting with the shutter speed the next time you get out to the track.

Your position on the track relative to the rider and the light is probably the most important factor. This allows you to get to best light on the rider and motorcycle. If you have hard light with deep shadows and burnt highlights, no camera settings will capture all of the detail. This image was shot in bright, hard, sunlight as you can see by the shadows under the riders. The shot was taken at about 2:00 and the light was nearly overhead. Not the best lighting situation. I usually look at my own shadow on the ground to determine where I will position myself on the track. I did manage to get on the lighter side of the riders. If I would have been on the other side of the track the riders and motorcycles would have been in deeper shadow. Lighting is the most important factor in photography and moving to the right spot gets you to the best light. If your shadow is behind you as you face the subject, you should probably move.

On overcast days or when the sun is behind a cloud, the light is diffused and the shadows are not as hard. These conditions allow the photographer more leeway for positioning for the shot. Again, experiment with location to get the lighting you want.

Shooting up close with a wide angle really puts the rider in your face. Up close and personal. In this image the front tire looks larger. A wide angle lens up close will emphasize this effect and bring depth to the image. This is where you really need to pay attention to the action around you. Don't get your eye stuck to the viewfinder and become an accident waiting to happen.

This image was also adjusted in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. That would be a post in itself.

Learn your camera settings and learn to shoot in shutter priority, aperture priority, or manual. Your images will benefit from it.

So move into position, get the best light, and be safe.

See you at the track.

Dana